Team Points
1 Renault 28
2 Ferrari 15
3 McLaren-Mercedes 15
4 Honda 11
5 Williams-Cosworth 5
6 BMW Sauber 2
7 Toyota 1
8 Red Bull 1

Updated after Malaysian Grand Prix

Ok, so Ferrari proved they are still a force to reckon with in F1, With Schumi and Massa making it a ferrari 1-2. Kimi had a disastrous start when apparently the suspension of his car broke and he crashed. Mclaren was unable to repair his car in time hence he missed the 15 minutes – 1st qualifying.

The new qualifying rules are exciting and make for a better watch than earlier rules. The only bad thing i thought was that the drivers who had been eliminated earlier will be allowed to have as much fuel on board as possible, but the drivers who qualified for the final session would have to make do with the fuel with which they started the last session.

Reactions ——–

Post Qualifying Confrence

Q.Welcome back Michael, your first pole since Hungary ??(tm)05.
Michael Schumacher

Micheal Schumacher: ” Yeah, I??(tm)ve had to wait a long time to get back up here. Hard work in the meantime, an amazing result. All winter we knew that we seemed to have a good package but then you wait, very strongly for the final confirmation and here and now we have the confirmation for all the hard work. Every engineer, every mechanic has been giving everything to put us back up here and it??(tm)s the best way to pay back all our guys. There??(tm)s such a great feeling and emotion. It??(tm)s been too long ago, too long time ago.”

Mclaren.com

Juan Pablo Montoya: “I think we did a good job with the new format, and it ran very smoothly for me. I am a little surprised to finish so far up as we had not been looking good in the earlier sessions when I have been suffering from understeer, but that is what the car could do when it counted. I think we have a good strategy for the race, so we will have to wait and see what will happen tomorrow.”

Kimi Raikkonen: “There is not much I can say about today. It is very disappointing to not even complete one timed lap as I believe that the team had a good strategy for the new qualifying system, and I could have been amongst the quickest. Although it is far from ideal to start from the back of the grid, there are overtaking opportunities at this track, and I have done this before and still achieved good results. We will just have to see what happens in the race tomorrow.”

Toyota

Ralf Schumacher :”It is obviously very disappointing that we just missed out on making it through Session 1 today. I was just starting a flying lap when the red flags came out. Then, when everyone went out for their quick laps I was at the back of the pack. I just lost the temperature in the tyres and I couldn’t warm up the tyre again before my lap. That meant that I was sliding around for most of the lap and I was not particularly surprised that I didn’t make it through to the other sessions. A disappointing day, then, that confirms that we have hard work ahead to force our way up the grid. But it is very early in the season and the full picture of relative performance will only emerge after the first few races.”

All is set for the race tomorrow, lets hope that the start to the F1 season is exciting.

Rumorville –
Renault was on a heavier fuel load, and hence couldn’t qualify as fast as Ferrari.

1 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 1:31.431

2 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:31.478

3 Jenson Button Honda 1:31.549

4 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:31.702

5 Juan Pablo Montoya McLaren-Mercedes 1:32.164

6 Rubens Barrichello Honda 1:32.579

7 Mark Webber Williams-Cosworth 1:33.006

8 Christian Klien RBR-Ferrari 1:33.112

9 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 1:33.496

10 Nick Heidfeld Sauber-BMW 1:33.926

11 Jacques Villeneuve Sauber-BMW 1:32.456

12 Nico Rosberg Williams-Cosworth 1:32.620

13 David Coulthard RBR-Ferrari 1:32.850

14 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:33.066

15 Vitantonio Liuzzi STR-Cosworth 1:33.416

16 Scott Speed STR-Cosworth 1:34.606

17 Ralf Schumacher Toyota 1:34.702

18 Christijan Albers MF1-Toyota 1:35.724

19 Tiago Monteiro MF1-Toyota 1:35.900

20 Takuma Sato Super Aguri-Honda 1:37.411

21 Yuji Ide Super Aguri-Honda 1:40.270

22 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes No time

10-16 time in second 15-minute period 16-22 time in first 15-minute period

Anthony Davidons was at the top, but Schumi was not far behind.

Looks like it’ll be Ferrari V/s Honda

More Precisely what it seems Schumi V/s Anthony Davidson

Formula One has never been better.

Practice 2 Timings

1 Anthony Davidson Honda 1:31.353

2 Michael Schumacher Ferrari 1:31.751

3 Alexander Wurz Williams-Cosworth 1:31.764

4 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:32.175

5 Fernando Alonso Renault 1:32.538

6 Vitantonio Liuzzi STR-Cosworth 1:32.703

7 Robert Doornbos RBR-Ferrari 1:32.926

8 Giancarlo Fisichella Renault 1:33.215

9 Jenson Button Honda 1:33.226

10 Robert Kubica Sauber-BMW 1:33.244

11 Christian Klien RBR-Ferrari 1:33.557

12 Kimi Räikkönen McLaren-Mercedes 1:33.577

13 Juan Pablo Montoya McLaren-Mercedes 1:33.726

14 Nick Heidfeld Sauber-BMW 1:33.848

15 Neel Jani STR-Cosworth 1:33.900

16 Scott Speed STR-Cosworth 1:34.284

17 Mark Webber Williams-Cosworth 1:34.333

18 Rubens Barrichello Honda 1:34.384

19 David Coulthard RBR-Ferrari 1:34.432

20 Tiago Monteiro MF1-Toyota 1:34.459

21 Nico Rosberg Williams-Cosworth 1:34.953

22 Ralf Schumacher Toyota 1:35.170

23 Markus Winkelhock MF1-Toyota 1:35.686

24 Jarno Trulli Toyota 1:35.898

25 Jacques Villeneuve Sauber-BMW 1:36.264

26 Christijan Albers MF1-Toyota 1:36.314

27 Takuma Sato Super Aguri-Honda 1:37.588

28 Yuji Ide Super Aguri-Honda 1:39.021

For Friday’s Pics Visit
Pitpass

Berlin, Germany, Wednesday 8th March 2006: Emirates Airline has entered the high-profile Formula One circuit, signing on as Partner of Team McLaren Mercedes in the days leading up to the opening race of the 2006 World Championship in Bahrain.

The announcement was made today by HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group, and Ron Dennis, Team McLaren Mercedes’ Team Principal and Chairman and CEO of the McLaren Group, alongside the International Tourism Fair (ITB) in Berlin, Germany.

Starting from the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend, the distinctive “Fly Emirates” insignia – one of the most recognizable brand signages at top global sporting events – will prominently feature on the Team McLaren Mercedes MP4-21 Formula One cars at race events across Europe, Asia, Australasia, and North and South America. In addition, it will also be on the uniform of drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya, and in the team’s pit interior.

Sheikh Ahmed said: “Formula One and Team McLaren Mercedes are at the pinnacle of a sport where success is determined by having leading-edge technology, quick responses to strategy changes, ambition and teamwork – all of which resonate with Emirates’ own practices to stay at the top of our industry.”

He added: “Grand Prix racing attracts millions of followers around the globe, and we believe it will be an excellent vehicle to further Emirates’ brand awareness. We are very pleased to partner with such a prestigious team as Team McLaren Mercedes, and wish them every success for the upcoming season.”

“Today’s announcement makes the start to the 2006 Formula One World Championship even more thrilling for Team McLaren Mercedes,” said Ron Dennis. “Emirates is globally recognized as a world-class airline and a leader in its field. We are proud that they recognize the mutual benefits of an association with Team McLaren Mercedes. The 2006 Formula One World Championship promises to be an exciting season and with support from a company like Emirates we are off to a good start. Everybody at Team McLaren Mercedes is looking forward to the opening race this weekend and a successful relationship with Emirates.”

Emirates Airline is an established supporter of sport around the world, as it believes that sport provides a platform to reach out to its customers and share in their interests. The airline also reflects many of the values embodied by top sporting events and teams – an ambition to be the best in the field, international appeal, and an unwavering commitment to its fans and customers.

McLaren F1 Press Release